Episode 633 Growth (7)
Hafman’s relief army has crossed the territory of the principality.
It was difficult to find only one village in a wide area, but it was easier than I thought because I was able to get a map in advance.
“The first candidate is this way.”
Vinter, who was in command of the group, moved along with his troops.
The closer you get to the manor, the closer you get.
It rained heavily as if there was a hole in the sky.
The floor became muddy and I was prone to sinking, so I couldn’t go fast.
‘I have to hurry even for a while.’
My stomach burns.
what to do with one
There is nothing good about going on a forced march like this.
The rainy environment was hard on them because they couldn’t bring a good raincoat.
“Winter!”
“What is it?”
The subordinate who was chasing from behind called out in an urgent voice.
“The wagon wheel is broken.”
“Umm….”
It was a pity.
Since there is no proper road, it seems that he got caught on a rock in the mud when he tried to take a small road in the forest.
It was a common occurrence on the first trip, but the timing was not good.
Vinter pondered for a moment, then made a quick decision.
“Move the stuff inside to another wagon.”
“You mean… abandoning the wagon?”
“You can’t be fixing a wheel in a place like this. You don’t know how long it will take, and if you encounter a group of monsters, it will be even more delayed.”
“But if that happens, the load on the wagons will increase. If another wagon is damaged, then the march will be hindered.”
His words are right.
However, he could not spend leisure time fixing the wagon now that he was in a hurry.
“I’m sorry, but let the mercenaries shoulder the rest of the supplies. We will give you a separate allowance, so if you earnestly ask, won’t they listen?”
“Umm… I wonder if they will listen to me straight away… It’s fortunate if they don’t use the supplies as they please.”
It was the first time working with mercenaries, and Vinter had not yet grasped their ecology.
If money is at stake, they are the ones who protect them like stone, but entrusting supplies to them in the current situation is like entrusting fish to a cat.
Knowing that fact well, Suha said as if he was a bit reluctant.
If the goods to be safely delivered to the principality disappear, it will be a complete turnaround.
I couldn’t recklessly agree to it because I could easily predict what the duke’s faces would look like, seeing the vastly insufficient supplies.
I don’t know if I know the thoughts of such a subordinate.
Vinter did not give up.
“These are also people before being mercenaries. In a situation where many people’s lives are at stake, does it make sense to be full of my own? I want to trust them.”
“…”
The commander said so, but what would a soldier say?
“Excuse me, but could you tidy up the wagon? Leave the broken wagon in the woods and distribute all the remaining cargo to other wagons. If you still have any leftovers, ask the mercenaries for a favor.”
“yes. All right.”
In the end, Suha gave a small sigh and withdrew.
* * *
Of course, the news reached the mercenaries as well.
A sense of backlash began to emerge among them, who had been putting their energy into the forced march.
“You told me to run without a few decent camps, and now you’re even carrying your luggage?”
“Isn’t this too much!”
“Two! I can’t because I’m dirty!”
Dissatisfaction erupted from all over the place.
Because this was expected enough.
The soldiers continued to speak while reading the mercenaries.
“Calm down. Not such a bad suggestion. Another allowance will be paid to those who share the burden of the wagon. The amount will never be small, so you can look forward to it.”
you give me money?
As long as the upper half of the half-man said that the amount was not small, they said everything.
Even the mercenaries who were still were attracted.
In addition to that, entrusted with supplies.
Of course, I would write down the exact amount of supplies before handing them out, but I know what will happen during the war.
I’m busy running away right away, so I have nothing to say if I say I left everything behind.
‘It wouldn’t be bad if I could take this opportunity to get one.’
Mercenaries are always in need of money.
Even if the income is good, the spending also grows accordingly, so even if you try to collect money, you cannot collect it.
Because he knows it himself, he becomes obsessed with money.
The mercenaries who looked around for a moment raised their hands one by one.
“We can’t pretend we didn’t see the crisis at the top. I will.”
“Hmm. When you see someone in trouble, you help them.”
“joy! You will regret it if the amount is small!”
The answers are also very different.
You can see their insides clearly.
The soldiers were worried about whether they could entrust supplies such as a lifeline to these people.
what to do with one
The order had already been given, and the mercenaries were moving their butts like hungry wolves.
The soldiers looked at each other and then let out a small sigh.
* * *
The march continued, with the wagon abandoned in the woods.
The closer you get to the ‘Goblin Kingdom’.
The rain intensified and the cries of the monsters could be heard weakly.
Their footsteps became even heavier because they had been beaten by a kobold that had jumped out of the bush not too long ago.
“Awesome. You mean the Levens came through this road?”
“Look over there. Covered in the shade of a tree, it looks just right for being stabbed by a monster if you’re not paying attention.”
Is it because the weather is cloudy?
Only 10 meters away, nothing can be seen because of the heavy rain.
The mournful cries of monsters heard everywhere made the atmosphere even more bleak.
The weak mercenaries pretended to have a conversation and often stuck close to the main unit.
Winter realized that the situation was getting worse.
‘The morale is dropping.’
Maybe it’s because I’ve been running without a break.
It’s getting dark, and it looks like they’ll leave one by one if they go further than this.
In the end, Vinter had no choice but to give the order.
“It would be nice to camp here. pitch a tent I’ll boil some porridge, eat it, rest, and start again when the sun rises.”
Be thirsty, the long-awaited words like sweet rain fell from Vinter’s mouth.
The mercenaries pitched their tents voluntarily, no matter who said first.
Raise the roof and light a bonfire skillfully.
For those who had lived on the battlefield for decades, this was nothing.
The mercenaries, who had taken off their wet clothes and dried them in the fire, soon hung up iron pots and spilled various vegetables generously.
When he tore the beef jerky he took out of his bag into small pieces and threw it into the pot, the savory aroma soon spread.
“How many proper meals is this?”
Let’s take a seat as if the big mercenary was impressed.
This time, he clicked his tongue as if he didn’t like the mercenary on the other side.
“Don’t talk. The Continental First Merchant came to find troops, so what the hell is this like?”
“Do it. If I had known I would suffer like this, I would not have come.”
“I do it because it makes money, but isn’t this too much?”
The mercenaries, exhausted from their journey so far, nodded their heads one by one and agreed.
After the words were spoken, the atmosphere became even more heated, and now it is ready for a complete riot.
It seemed that if one person pulled out the sword, it would run away from the glade’s neck.
at that time.
A brown-haired man with a shaggy beard said as he tossed wood into the bonfire.
“I don’t think so. I almost starved to death or became a bandit in a flood the other day. I wouldn’t be here if the Hafman Company hadn’t shown mercy to the flood victims just in time.”
Saying that, the man looked around the crowd.
“Aren’t there those who have received grace among the two? What if work is hard? Isn’t that what being a mercenary is? How could I throw away the benefactor who saved my life?”
At his words, the spirit of the mercenaries, who were about to grab their swords and run away at any moment, softened a lot.
Certainly, the Hafman Company had been concentrating on relief activities since before.
The half-man upper house, which has been helping people at its mercy for almost ten years, has been born with public sentiment befitting its reputation as the top of the continent.
– Harfman. Eating alone will make your stomach explode.
The small murmur that Ray said.
Over the years, this moment has shone.
The old mercenary, who watched the situation without a word, agreed.
“That is correct. Nobu was also indebted to the Halfman Merchant in the past. How can I repay the favor if I can’t stand this much?”
A young man who was drying himself near a fire answered.
“You can leave whenever you want to. However, when you leave, do not drag other people along and leave quietly alone.”
“….”
“….”
The mercenaries, embarrassed by that, scratched their heads.
“No matter how much money we are, we have not given up on being human. What can I do if I’m dissatisfied? In the end, we were the ones who accepted the request.”
“Sorry if that sounds bad. I never thought that there would be so many mercenaries who benefited from Hafman.”
The two mercenaries, who had been complaining louder than anyone else, quietly sat down.
Vinter, who was watching the scene from behind, sighed in his heart.
I was anxiously watching the situation, but fortunately it seems to have ended well.
In this situation, if a large number of mercenaries leave, it will be the half-man top ranks that will be the shit line.
No matter how much money they have, no one readily steps forward, so it will take well over a month to form a relief army again.
‘Danju’s good deeds have become a lifeline.’
I would have thought that the ghost who was only chasing that money would have taken control of the people by looking ahead 10 years into the future.
If Harfman had really been a greedy man who only thought of money, the bond between the mercenaries would have been easily broken in the situation just now.
It seems that he wasn’t the only one who was nervous.
The subordinate who was watching the mercenaries from the side let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m glad. It was a car that I was worried about what would happen if I lifted it and woke up.”
“…It’s all thanks to Danju-nim’s insight. As for me, I didn’t dare to change the situation just now.”
Vinter honestly admired it.
It was said that Hafman’s talent reached the sky in the business world, and that must have been true.
When they are all ready for camp.
Winter did not yet know that there were people coming from afar to the same destination as them.
